To err is human; nobody is born learned. All the successful people faced shortcomings in their life before making it big in their respective domain. Success stories of all those highfliers entail mistakes and failures.
At times, you may also lose the plot and make mistakes out of confusion or ignorance, whether it’s work-life or personal. Often, the mistakes are not obvious from your perspective, but others may identify those slip-ups. As a professional, it is in your best interest if those flaws are alluded to via feedbacks or constructive criticism by your peers. This is the only way you can know where you stand.
Understand the necessity of critical Feedbacks
In order to succeed, you need to make your existence count in this competitive corporate environment. To that end, you have to make peace with the fact that the road to success passes through critical feedbacks. Consistent and diligent efforts to bounce back from each and every knock is a sure shot way to continued progress.
Your refinement as a person and your professional success is directly proportional to how clinically you have been criticized. When you regard criticism and feedbacks in the right spirit, you become aware of those shortcomings that are otherwise not apparent. Feedback or criticism is an opportunity for you to look at yourself as others do.
If you are an egocentric individual, you won’t give a thought to criticism. Like all self-obsessed people, who are in awe of themselves, continuously thinking whatever they say or do is right. On the other hand, if you are humble and if you crave to become a better version of your previous self, you will always be open to feedbacks involving criticism.
Be rational about it; take criticism seriously not Personally
Be rational while dealing with hard-hitting feedbacks received inevitably from bosses, co-workers, clients, and even juniors. If your juniors are able to criticize you fearlessly, it ensures that you are receptive to criticism.
The best way to learn and grow as a professional is by knowing where you are not meeting people’s expectations “in regards to work” instead of contemplating the negative perceptions people may have of you.
Act upon
When facing the criticism, most people bury their head in sand. Sadly, they face the same problems over and over again. You should see feedbacks and criticisms as pearls of wisdom that are there to help you become an expert at the task.
With each feedback, your work will get better. Even before you realize, you will have a new set of skills and a better understanding of your work. You will have better experience to deal with future challenges. No education and formal training can make you as proficient as real feedbacks and criticism can.
When all is said and done, it is not the criticism that counts, rather how you take it and work on it to change your life and inspire others. Feedbacks from people around us are our true teachers, and the person who has more of them gets to learn more.
